Oral History Interview with Juan Blanco

Oral History Interview with Juan Blanco

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Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Juan Blanco. Blanco, a native of Garapan, Saipan, attended school in Japan for four years. He returned to Saipan in 1939, due to his father’s concerns about the war with China. In 1941 his family was chased out of the home by the Japanese military and relocated to their ranch, which later became the site of Camp Susupe. Blanco went to work for a Japanese sugar company in 1942 and was commandeered to help with the construction of the air base at Marpi. He ran away with his … continued below

Physical Description

55 p.

Creation Information

Blanco, Juan Creation Date: Unknown.

Context

This text is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. More information about this text can be viewed below.

Interviewee

Blanco, Juan

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

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Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Juan Blanco. Blanco, a native of Garapan, Saipan, attended school in Japan for four years. He returned to Saipan in 1939, due to his father’s concerns about the war with China. In 1941 his family was chased out of the home by the Japanese military and relocated to their ranch, which later became the site of Camp Susupe. Blanco went to work for a Japanese sugar company in 1942 and was commandeered to help with the construction of the air base at Marpi. He ran away with his coworkers and hid in caves when Americans began bombing the island. Although the Japanese had stocked the caves with plenty of food, the only source of water was the nearby Talofofo River. Surrounded by Americans at the river, Blanco surrendered and was taken to Camp Susupe and assigned to perform hard labor. Because of his Chamorro heritage, he was transferred to Chalan Kanoa and given a good job as the manager of an officers’ woodworking shop. He went on to hold political office during the Trust Territory period and worked as a Bank of America manager for 26 years.

Physical Description

55 p.

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Text

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this text in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH00548
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1604023

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Juan Blanco - ark:/67531/metapth1607835

Collections

This text is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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